Starting Out
by Settiai
Summary: In the beginning, it was just the two of them. :: Jack/Suzie


Suzie Costello ducked, flinching as a foul-smelling blue substance splattered against the crumbling wall she was hiding behind. A few drops of the slime hit her skin, and she made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat as she hurriedly wiped it off. It was cold and sticky, but it didn't hurt. Still. . . .

She glanced over at the man kneeling beside her. "This isn't some kind of acid, is it?" she hissed

Jack Harkness chuckled. "Don't you think I would have told you if it was?"

Her only reply was an unladylike snort.

Jack's grin faded. "That time doesn't count," he muttered. "How was I supposed to know that a Kjiorg's blood could eat through metal that quickly? It's not exactly what you'd call common knowledge."

"At least you knew it could eat through metal in the first place!" Suzie shot back. "Not to mention clothes, computers, autopsy tab--"

Suzie trailed off as another wave of blue slime flew over their heads, landing several meters behind them. They met each other's gaze and both of them started to frown. Suzie glanced over the top of the wall, her eyes widening when she saw that the alien they were dealing with - almost three meters tall and covered in green and yellow stripes - had finally left the abandoned warehouse it had been staying in and come out into the open.

Jack pushed his head up over the top of the fence as well, whistling when he saw the alien standing there. "Argue later?" he suggested.

Suzie nodded distractedly. "That sounds good to me."

As if it had heard them, and there was a very good chance it had, the alien let loose some more of the blue slime. Its aim was better than the previous two times, though, and Jack's loud "oh shit!" summed up Suzie's thoughts on the matter nicely.

Suzie let out a string of curses as a gob of slime caught her directly in the forehead, slowly trickling down her face. It was even colder than she had thought, and - even although it didn't hurt per se - her skin started feeling odd the moment it hit her.

"I thought you said this stuff was harmless," she muttered heatedly, not pleased to note that it looked as if Jack had managed to not get hit by the alien slime.

Jack yanked a handkerchief out of his pocket and quickly started rubbing the sticky substance off her face. "I said that it wasn't acid," he shot back. "That doesn't mean that it's harmless."

Mentally counting to ten, Suzie took in a deep breath. "Just how _not_ harmless is it?" she asked, pointedly trying not to notice the worried look on Jack's face.

"Well, it's not going to kill you," Jack replied. "Probably."

Suzie jerked in surprise. "Probably?"

Jack's face stayed serious for a moment, but then he slowly started to grin.

She narrowed her eyes. "Remind me to kill you if we survive this," she said through gritted teeth.

"It's not dangerous," Jack reassured her, ignoring the threat. "Most races don't fight back if a Fractith shows up on their planet, so the slime's more for show than anything else. Your face might feel a little bit numb from the cold, but it shouldn't last more than a minute or two."

Suzie snatched the hander kerchief from Jack's hand and started rubbing her own face. "You still haven't told me why this Fractith is such a threat," she said.

Jack shrugged. "It's not," he replied. "I mean, other than the fact that humans are on their list of delicacies."

"You could have just said so in the first place," Suzie said dryly. Then she drew in a sharp breath and suddenly dove for the ground. "Get down!"

Despite her warning, Jack still got a nice splattering of the cold slime on his face.

"Thanks," he said dryly. "You're very helpful."

"I try," Suzie said with mock innocence. "Of course, if you were to hire more people, then you might get a little more help."

"Do you really think this is the time or the place for that discussion?" Jack asked disbelievingly, rubbing at the slime on his cheek.

Suzie glanced over at him, her face suddenly serious. "Discussion?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow. "I make the suggestion, and you say 'no.' That's not exactly what I'd call a discussion."

Jack stared back at her. "I'm the boss."

"And, as you pointed out several times when you were trying to convince me to leave London, this isn't Torchwood One," she replied. "It might be a dictatorship, but that doesn't mean you have to do everything by yourself."

He started to respond, but another wave of slime cut him off.

"Oh, that's it," Jack muttered, reaching in his bag to pull out an odd-looking device. "Let's get this over with."

Suzie eyed the device warily. "What is it and why haven't I seen it before?"

"It creates a type of radiation that's harmless to humans but deadly to Fractith," Jack replied calmly. "And you haven't seen it before because I usually keep it locked in my desk drawer."

She stared at him. "You keep a device that generates radiation in your desk?" she repeated slowly.

He nodded, a nonchalant look on his face.

"If you ever hire a secretary, she deserves a raise on the very first day."

Jack winked. "If I ever hire a secretary, who says it will be a woman?" he pointed out.

Suzie just shook her head and gestured toward the device her was holding, where a mauve light was flashing. He followed her gaze, letting out a curse when he saw the lights. Then he quickly raised himself high enough to send the device flying out into the middle of the lot, where it landed at the alien's feet.

"Duck?" Suzie suggested.

Jack nodded. "Duck," he agreed.

They both ducked back down behind the wall, moments before a large explosion rocked the empty lot. A strangled scream rang through the air for a moment before it faded away, leaving an eerie silence. Jack and Suzie glanced at each other for a second before slowly peering up over the wall.

The lot was empty save for a charred circle near its center.

"You know," Jack said, shaking his head wryly, "I think we might need a few more people on the team."

Suzie wiped a remaining streak of blue slime off her face. "I can't imagine where you got that idea," she said, deadpan.

The serious look on Jack's face disappeared almost instantly, and he threw his head back with a laugh. "I like you, Suzie Costello."

She just shook her head as she turned around and started toward their vehicle. "I'm glad to hear it," she called over her shoulder. "That still doesn't mean I'll sleep with you."

Jack sprinted after her, quickly passing her. He stopped directly in front of her, forcing her to pause as well. "I've heard that before," he said with a suggestive wink.

Suzie rolled her eyes, but a hint of a smile played at the corners of her lips.

Without warning, Jack leaned in and kissed her.

Even though he pulled away after a few seconds, Suzie's lips felt as if they were tingling. She stared at him, a startled look on her face. Jack just grinned back at her.

"If you really want to sleep with a coworker," Suzie said, well aware that her face was flushed, "then I suggest you starting hiring more people."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Then you'll give in to my charms?"

Suzie let out a quiet laugh. "Try hiring that secretary we were talking about earlier," she said teasingly. "Maybe you'll have more luck with him."

Jack just grinned and threw an arm over her shoulder, giving her a half-hug. Then they walked side-by-side toward the van in companionable silence.


End file.
